
JOSIP ŠURLIN
Josip Šurlin, In Vitro II, 2024
wood, rubber pipe, 55 x 70 x 25 cm
photographs: Žaklina Antonijević, Boris Cvijetanović
In Vitro II is a conceptual sculpture made of wood, shaped like a stylized outdoor unit of an air conditioning device. This rectangular motif is constructed from several pieces of black pressed wood (MDF), with engraved elements like airflow structures and the Samsung logo. A black rubber air tube is fixed to the sculpture positioned on a pedestal with the tube extending into space and ending on the floor.
The work examines air conditioning in residential spaces symbolically, relating it to human respiration. It reflects on modern urbanism as an indicator of spatial repression and a symbol of the need for adaptation, isolation, or survival. The stylized unit represents more than the touristification of space; it delves into the anthropological discourse of the human body adapting to this machine. In Vitro II, presented as a minimalist object, indirectly examines changes in lifestyle and the dangers of poverty, framing these notions within the "inconsistent stage of human breathing." The piece intersects with modern technology and biopolitics, where spatial conditions, air quality, and living standards often constrain breathing.